Warm tributes paid to ‘inspirational’ community figure Bharti Dhir

• Eastern Eye
• 09 July, 2024

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By: Eastern Eye

TRIBUTES have been paid to a beloved member of the Asian community following her death earlier this month.

Bharti Dhir, the wife of professor Ravindra Dhir OBE and mother of Old Bailey judge Anuja Dhir, died peacefully surrounded by her family last Monday (1).

She was an exceptional and inspirational woman, loved and admired by all who knew her.

One of seven siblings, Bharti was born in 1938 in Johannesburg and was an integral part of the Gujarati community. Their father, Trikam Naren, started a wholesale textile business which continues to operate.

Having come to the UK to study at 18, Bharti was one of the first women of Indian heritage to qualify as a teacher. In 1964, she married Dhir, in Sheffield, and after a couple of years they had their first daughter, Namrta. The family subsequently moved to Dundee, where he was appointed as a lecturer in civil engineering at Dundee University. Shortly after the couple moved to the city, their second daughter Anuja was born, and seven years later, they had Pratima.

The Dhir family played a central role in the Scottish Asian and professional communities, arranging many cultural events such as garba performances, Diwali shows and Indian cooking sessions. In Scotland, Bharti entertained all who met her, leading by example – she was joyful, generous, kind, thoughtful and also fun.

Bharti held a deep care for all she met. As deputy head of home economics at Kirkton High School, she left an impression on students she met and taught. Ultimately, Bharti and her husband moved to Birmingham in 2003 to be closer to their daughters. Wherever she went, Bharti possessed a unique ability to develop and mould a larger family whom she loved and cherished.

Throughout her life, Bharti honoured her Gujarati heritage, becoming a pillar of the community in both Birmingham and Dundee. She was also an avid reader of Garavi Gujarat (a sister title of Eastern Eye) from when it was first published in 1968.

Bharti was not only a wonderful mother to Namrta, Anuja and Pratima, she was also a loving grandmother to Keshav and his wife Divya; Pranav and his wife Krupali; Vinay and his wife Priya; as well as Nikita, Sachin, Arjun, Nayana and Saloni.

Bharti was also a devoted greatgrandmother to Ayush and Dhruv, who she described as her “tonic”.

The Dhir family said, “We will all miss her. She was our heartbeat and will continue to live in our souls”.